Manually operated pinch valve



`lune 2, 1953 V, w, FARRIS 2,640,675

MANUALLY OPERATED PINCH VALVE Filed July 22, 1949 x In /A/VE/VTOR /2 ,6/4 were@ M Huw/5 Patented June 2, 1953 UN'I'TED STATES PATENT MeNUAIfLYOPERATED Pneu' verve Victor Wallace Farris, Tenay, N. J. ApplicationJuly 22, 1949, ySei-iai No, 106,239

1 Claim. l

Ifhis invention relates to valvesand more par-- ticularly, to that typeof valve known as.A a pinch valve and'comprising, in general, a flexiblecon.- duit, and means ionpinchin'g the walls of said conduit to controlthe flow of uids therethrough.

The need has existed for some time for avalve of the general characterindicated which is, simplein construction and, therefore, inexpensivetofabricate and assemble, which is mechanically designed so as to beeasily manually operated, and which is so mounted as to functionefficiently without danger of binding.

Previous pinch valves have suffered by lacking in one or more of theforegoing and other desirable characteristics and it is to the provisionof a valve which possesses these attributes that the present inventionis addressed.

These, and other objects and advantages, which will become apparent asthe hereinafter detailed description progresses, are attained in thepresent invention in the following manner.

In its broadest aspect, the present invention provides a iiexibleconduit, or, more specifically, a flexible conduit section adapted to beinserted in the line through which the flow of fluid is `to becontrolled, which iiexible conduit is sur rounded by a frame memberhaving a portion thereof in contact with the exterior wall of saidconduit. A clamping member engages the conduit at a point diametricallyopposite the point of contact between said portion of said frame memberand said conduit, and means, carried by the frame member and engagingthe clamping member, are provided for moving said frame and clampingmembers relative to each other, thereby to pinch the flexible Walls ofthe conduit and control the flow of uid therethrough.

In one form of the present invention, the frame and clamping members areprovided with means to prevent relative rotation therebetween, and saidframe member is provided with means, cooperable with the conduit, forlocating said frame with respect to said conduit and preventing relativerotation therebetween.

In the accompanying specification there shall be described and in theannexed drawings sho-wn an illustrative embodiment of the presentinvention. It is, however, to be clearly understood that the presentinvention is not to be limited to the details herein shown and describedfor purposes of illustration only inasmuch as changes therein may bemade without the exercise of invention and within the true spirit andscope of the claim hereto appended.

In said drawings,

Fig. l is a side elevational view of a `conduit provided with one 'formof pinch valve assembled in accordance with thepresentinvention, and

rFig. 2 is a partial transverse sectional view,v of the same.

Referring. now more rin detail tothe aforesaid illustrative embodimentof `the present'i-nventionf, with particular reference to Figs. l and 2of the drawing, the numeral I0 designates a conduit through which it isdesired to control the flow of fluid. For this purpose, said conduit isprovided with a pinch valve generally designated by the referencecharacter II, said valve, in its broadest aspect, comprising a flexiblesection I2 the ends of which are provided with enlarged bore portionsreceptive of the adjacent ends of the conduit IIB, and means I3 forpinching said iiexible section and thereby controlling the iiow of uidtherethrough.- The section I2 is coupled to the conduit I0 by means ofstraps III, and it is to be noted that the internal diameter of the mainbore of the section I2 is of the same dimension as that of the conduitI0, thereby providing unimpeded iiow of the fluid when the valve isopen.

Surrounding the flexible conduit section I2 is a substantiallyrectangular frame member I5 one of the legs IS of which abuts saidsection I2. The interior edge I'I of said frame member constitutes aguide engaged by a forked lug I8 formed on a clamping member I9 which isin contact with the conduit section I2 at a point diametrically oppositethe point of contact between said conduit section and the leg IS of theframe member. The engagement between the lug I8 and guide I'I serves theadditional purpose of preventing relative rotation between the framemember I5 and the clamping member I9.

Another leg 20 of the frame member I5 has a threaded hub 2I formedthereon, said hub being receptive of a stem 22 the outer end of which isprovided with an operating knob 23 and the inner end of which engages ina socket 24 formed in the clamping member I9.

Secured to the vertical legs of the frame member I5, as at 25, is a pairof bowed resilient straps 2G, said straps having their outer free endsin yielding engagement with the conduit section I2 to locate the framemember I5 centrally along the length of said conduit section and toprevent relative rotation between said frame and conduit sections.

In operation, rotation of the stem 22 brings about relative longitudinalmovement between the frame member l5 and the clamping member I8 to pinchthe flexible conduit section l2, these members approaching each otherduring the closing of the valve and receding from each other during theopening of the valve.

This completes the description of the aforesaid illustrative embodimentof the present invention.

It will be noted from all of the foregoing that there has been provideda pinch valve which is simple and economical, capable of easy manualoperation, and mounted in a manner assuring eflicient functioning.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will readily occurto those skilled in the art to which the same relates. A

What is claimed is:

A valve comprising: a exible conduit; a frame member surrounding saidconduit and having a portion thereof in contact with said conduit; aclamping member engaging said conduit at a point diametrically oppositethe point of contact between said portion of said frame member and saidconduit; rotary means carried by said frame member With its axis ofrotation perpendicular to the axis of said conduit and engaging saidclamping member for moving said frame and clamping members relative toeach other; and a bowed resilient member, supported at its center bysaid frame: member, and extending on both sides of itspcint of supportby said frame member, in a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotationof said rotary means, and including the axis of said conduit; the outerextremities of said bowed resilient member contacting said conduit tohold the same against relative rotation between said frame member andsaid conduit in said plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation of saidrotary means.

VICTOR WALLACE FARRIS.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 582,027 Smith May 4, 1897 597,443 Thomas Jan. 18, 18981,432,882 Lobl Oct. 24, 1922 2,070,143 Schisler Feb. 9, 1937 2,183,835Foulke Dec. 19, 1939 2,212,733 Grigsby Aug. 27, 1940 2,285,821 MaloneyJune 9, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 13,127 Great Britain of1890 471,829 Germany of 1942

